We're Fighters
by chaneldancegrl
Summary: When a zombie disease breaks out and turns most of the world into zombies, shy Jamie Reyes is shocked to find a fellow human survivor in the upbeat and confident Cassie Sandsmark. Together they must work to survive this zombie apocalypse and hopefully find some Chicken Whizees and Twinkies. Zombie AU : WonderBeetle, some Spitfire and cameos from other team members


**Title: We're Fighters**

**Ratings/Warnings: Low T for some language, and some graphic violence**

**Characters/ Pairings: Jamie Reyes, Cassie Sandsmark, Wonderbeetle, very brief Spitfire some cameos from other characters**

**Word Count: 9,200+**

**Summary: When a zombie disease breaks out and turns most of the world into zombies, shy Jamie Reyes is shocked to find a fellow human survivor in the upbeat and confident Cassie Sandsmark. Together they must work to survive this zombie apocalypse and hopefully find some Chicken Whizees and Twinkies.**

**Author Note: This is dedicated to one of my friends, Elie, or Eliestarr on here (check out her fics, they're really good) as part of the YJ Christmas Exchange on tumblr. More Notes: Cassie and Jamie are about 15, other team members have been aged about 3 years. Spanish terms are italicized and their translations followed in parenthesis or somewhere in the text**

**12345678987654321**

The moon dangled low in the darkening sky, its gleam casting faint shadows on the skeletons of cars scattered haphazardly over the parking lot. Mostly decomposed or picked apart bodies lay tossed throughout the parking lot. Jamie Reyes picked his way through the carnage, holding a plasma cannon in front of chest, eyes flickering around his environment. His mission: (which he definitely accepted) stock up on food, primarily Chicken Whizzes.

Ever since some mad scientists working under the name of the Reach released the Krolotean virus into food sources in a failed attempt to take over the world, life had changed for Jamie and not in a good way. The symptoms of the virus usually took about three days to kick in before turning its victims into wrinkly, pale green creatures who moaned and growled their craving for human flesh and blood. It had spread like wild fire across the nation; now it wasn't unheard of to go for miles without having human interaction. It took most of the human race to turn into monsters before people got smart and started carrying around guns, out running and out thinking their predators. Jamie had gotten lucky after he escaped his home, running past the former Kord Industries to escape a hoard on his tail. Tripping over a piece of rubble from the demolished building, the young man had seen something that looked like a gun's handle sticking out from underneath the rubble. He yanked hard on it and rolled over to shoot at the hungry mouth several inches from his leg, but instead of a bullet firing out came a ray of light that disintegrated the zombie's head to dust.

It wasn't until he had killed the five zombies that he really understood his weapon wasn't a normal gun with its dark blue and black design and plasma ammo, but it was effective. He also couldn't find any ammo cartridges to restock it later, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't figure out how to do it later anyhow, so until it stopped working he wouldn't worry about it. Some moaning in the distance had made him skip searching the rubble for more supplies and take off down the street.

Now about three months after finding the gun, he was trekking out in the search of supplies before going back into hiding and hopefully before his growling stomach gave away his position. Jaime peered through the general store's glass windows for signs of the undead. Only uneaten food stared forlornly back at him under the low fluorescent lighting. He took a deep breath and checked the parking lot one more time, before opening the door and stepping in.

A bell chime announced his entrance. He winced and swiveled his gun around the room. For a second, he didn't hear anything besides his panting, then, to his right came a gurgling sound. A giant bald man lumbered towards him, head swinging wildly and sending dripping chunks of blood and half eaten flesh all over the groceries.

Jamie grimaced but before he could pull the trigger, a harsh chorus of bullets being fired caused him to jump and duck into one of the shelved aisles. A large _thump_ was soon heard, followed by a couple more shots_. _

_ What was that?_ He thought, slowly peering his head through the shelves to see a patch of blonde hair going down the aisles. He slowly pulled himself up higher to get a better view before it disappeared when the metal shelving unit gave an unearthly squeal and fell backwards towards Jamie, hitting the shelf behind him and starting a domino effect of clanking shelves with boxes and cans of food falling everywhere.

"_Miedra!_ (Shit!)" Jamie grabbed his plasma cannon and dove out of the way, watching the loud path of destruction continue until there was nothing left to topple.

Lost cans rolled hopelessly around, mocking him as he aimed warily at the figure that had mimicked his actions. It looked like another person….

"Who are you?" the figure called to him in a strong feminine voice, her clear speech and lively skin color marking her as another living human. "I'm not afraid of you!" she added.

"_Dios Mio_" (Oh my God) Jamie muttered incredulously before shaking his head to focus. "It's okay. I'm human too!" he replied, lowering his weapon slowly and walking halfway to meet her. She walked towards him too, her facial expression slightly distrustful but up close he could see her startling blue eyes were shining with eagerness and hope. She looked about the same age he did, surprising him even further that there were other teens who survived so far. After being alone for so long, there was someone who was like him. He may not have to be on his own anymore, if she turned out to be nice. Besides the AK-47, strong looking arms, and some rope attached to her hip, she didn't look too dangerous to him. She must've reached the same conclusion about him because she lowered her gun; her bright smile was a stark contrast to the some of the grime and dirt that covered her (though who was he to judge, he probably looked worse and smelled bad. What he wouldn't give for a shower right now… besides his life, he'd like to keep that… and maybe some Chicken Whizees if he had any).

"Hi!" she exclaimed, startling him again. "So I guess you're like me. Honestly, I never thought I'd see another person ever again! Well, alive anyway, and I mean breathing and wanting to eat real food, not brains or body parts. Because that'd be bad and I'd have to kill you which would be tragic." She must've realized what she had just said based on the panic Jamie assumed was on his face because she covered her mouth, and winced. "Sorry, it's the times. I really don't think I'll have to kill you. I really don't want to either."

He took another calming breath and gave her a shy smile, a little overwhelmed by her. "Uh, thanks, _chica (girl)_. It's nice to see you too."

"Wait, you speak Spanish? That's cool!"

He shrugged, not knowing what to say because for him it was always second nature. "Well, it's more fun when there's other people to speak it with, but thanks."

The girl opened her mouth to reply when three more zombies appeared at the entrance, trying to get into the single entrance door at the same time.

"_Hijole (Jeez)_, these things don't quit!" Jamie aimed his cannon.

"It was probably the crashing aisles that got their attention and the light in the store led the way. I'm surprised it took them this long," she replied, standing next to him with her own weapon.

He fired at the first zombie as it stumbled through, blasting a hole in its chest. The monster the howled, but angrily continued forward. Jamie shot again, this time in its head and disintegrating the body's head, apparently zombies needed whatever semblance of a brain they had left.

He aimed again at the second, but gunfire next to him took it out along with making him flinch. The boy gave her a confused look as she shot the zombie again after it had died for good. "Rule # 2, double tap.

"What?" he asked even more confused.

She shrugged. "Don't ask me, something I heard earlier and I'm not questioning it."

The both them jumped out of the way as the final one leaped at them. Jamie heard several pops beneath him as he crash landed on the floor and looked disappointedly to see several bags of Chicken Whizees now crushed beneath him. He groaned, but looked up to see the zombie advancing on his new friend. A blast of light sped through the air at the monster, effectively taking out the head and causing the rest of the corpse to fall on top of her.

"Ugh, gross," she grimaced and shoved the body off of her and climbed to her feet. "But thanks," she added, giving him a smile. "So what'd you come here for anyway? We'd better grab and go what we need."

"We?" Jamie shot her a confused look, surprised again by this girl. Was she really so ready for them to team up?

"Yeah, _we_!" She shrugged. "There's not many of us left and we have to stick together. If either one of us wanted the other dead, I don't think we'd be standing here. Partners?"

He smiled, relieved. Now he wasn't alone. The idea of facing the world now wasn't as scary as it used to be. He had a friend. "Sure, _amiga_. That's friend, in Spanish by the way."

"_Amiga_…. I like it." She gave him another dazzling smile and stepped over some of the fallen food and cheered while picking up several food boxes. "Twinkies! The food of the gods! Alright, now we can go!"

"That's it? Twinkies? Well what about other food to hold us out?" He asked incredulously.

"Like what?" she wrinkled her nose.

He tried not to find that ridiculously cute because that is definitely not what the situation called for. "Like, like…..Chicken Whizees, that aren't crushed and other non perishable food."

She gave an exaggerated sigh. "You're probably right, let's grab some bags and go before their buddies show up." Together they each grabbed several bags full of Chicken Whizees and other food and began to walk away from the store.

"Nice weapon," remarked the girl suddenly, noticing the gun slung across his back. "I've never seen a blue gun that shoots out blue light."

"Me either. I know, it's weird, but it works," he said self consciously.

"Don't worry. It doesn't make you weird, but special! I might have to call you Blue from now on."

"Or you can call me Jaime."

"Maybe both. But I'm Cassie, and I'm glad to have you on my side my blue _amiga_ Jamie." She said with another bright happy smile that made him wonder if the sun had come up.

"Actually, for me, it's _amigo_," Jamie corrected, slightly ruining her fun.

"Whatever you say, Blue."

**12345678987654321**

_Two months later_

"Alright, Blue. We've searched this mansion high to low for zombies and found _nada (nothing)_. There's a million and one things in here we can trash and no one will care. It's time we start your hand to hand combat training." Cassie hit a fist against her palm, grinning excitedly and with an intensity that scared Jaime a little bit. For the past two weeks, Cassie had been hell bent on teaching Jamie how to fight without his gun, something they had both realized he was bad at after temporarily losing his gun in a couple of fights. Lucky for him, Cassie was always there to get them away from him, either with her fists or by lassoing them (which she was surprisingly good at with her rope). But they both knew it couldn't last forever, though they didn't like to talk about that idea much since it usually ended up with one of them getting bitten, hurt, or ending up dead. And even though she didn't always need it, he worried more about her more than she did; she seemed to just kinda roll with the punches, or brush it off, saying she'll be alright in the end and that the practice was just for _his_ safety or whatever. Still, he didn't like to think of her being gone forever, he had grown increasingly fond of her: the way her eyes shone, her laugh and smile, her eagerness for adventure that sometimes got them trouble, and the way she pushed him out of his shy shell so he could relax and have fun, even during the zombie apocalypse.

He looked up at her from his rather comfortable position on the couch with Chicken Whizees in hand. "Now?"

"Yes, now!" she stole the bag from him, and pulled on his arm. "Let's go!" He let her lead him to an open space.

"So the tricky thing about zombies, is that you never want to let their mouths get too close, but they're usually slow, so use that to your advantage and keep moving." They spent a couple hours practicing fighting. Cassie showed him how to duck and move efficiently, use zombie's weakness, and how to make his hits and kicks more effective. While he learned lots of new moves, lots of them were thanks to Cassie using them on him. Unfortunately her "holding back" still hurt, and pillows on couch and floor didn't stop all the pain after she knocked him on to the floor. By the end, Jamie was laying on the floor, shirt off, sweating, and the sorest he's been in a long time. Cassie, meanwhile, leisurely took a sip of her water. "We'll keep working on your strength and some moves tomorrow, but you're not bad."

He chuckled, then winced and grabbed at his sore abs. "Thanks, sergeant." He stood up slowly and grabbed his own water bottle to chug down. Instead of a quick reply about it being good for him or something crazy like that, he was met with silence. He looked over to his friend, who he saw staring at him. "What, is there something weird on me?" he asked self consciously, looking down at himself.

"Huh? Oh nothing!" she said quickly, eyes splayed out in the air. "You're fine! Er, I mean good! I mean, there's nothing wrong with you, you're okay. Well, I mean-" She groaned. "Nevermind, I was, uh, just thinking of some new moves for tomorrow, like maybe how to get rid of a zombie incase of closer contact or something." She proceeded to quickly drink her water.

Jaime raised an eyebrow at her, but decided not to push it besides drawing out a long "Okay." He put on his black t-shirt before asking, "So where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"My dad used to be a big time boss of a fighting league, kinda like UFC. Sometimes he'd take me to work. I was always supposed to stay in the office," Cassie laughed. "Pshhh, like I would do what I was told. Anyway, there was this group of women fighters who were some of the best fighters I'd ever seen. They weren't scary though like you see some fighters on TV, but they were intimidating because it was obvious they were good and kick-ass. I wasn't scared of them though."

"Not even a little?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. I knew they weren't going to hurt me and I was too much of a fangirl around them anyway to be afraid. Some days, I'd sneak away from my dad to go watch them, eventually they caught me staring and I asked them to teach me. They weren't gun-ho about it right away, and told me to only use it for self-defense or to help others."

"And what about zombies?"

Cassie through a pillow at his head. "Will you shut up? Did you want to hear the story or not?" But he could tell she didn't mind his teasing.

"_Digame_, tell me," he replied, sitting Indian-style and with his head in his hands like an eager student.

She rolled her eyes but continued,"Right. So there was this one woman, her name was Diana, but everyone else knew her as Wonder Woman from the ring. She was one of the best I'd ever seen. Smart too and with a pretty strict moral code. She's the main one who took me under her wing, trained me and taught me everything I know, even the rope tricks." She grinned. "You should see the look on people's faces when I lasso someone, they can't believe I actually use it, but it's more handy than people realize."

"I know. It's gotten us out of a couple tricky situations." He smiled, remembering his own confusion at seeing her first use it and then being grateful that she did. "What'd your dad think?"

She shrugged. "I don't think he minded all that much. He was kinda surprised at first, but then he let me keep learning. I was planning on entering some matches under Wonder Girl because of my mentor, but that all changed after," she waved her hand vaguely around the room. "this, the whole end of the world thing." Cassie sighed and sat down on the couch. "I don't know where any of them are or if they survived. I hoped they did, but it's hard to tell, you know?" she looked up at Jamie, worry in those big blue eyes.

He moved next to her, putting an arm on her shoulder. He didn't want to lie and tell her that everyone was okay; they both had had to adjust to the new conditions and the grave possibility that everyone was gone. But he also hated seeing her down about this. "I know, but even if they're not here physically, they're still with you."

"How?"

"Well, it's something my folks would tell me after I lost someone I cared about. The people we lose, they're still inside us. They live through us, through our memories of them and their influences on us. As long as we remember them and use what they taught us, they'll live and we won't be completely alone." As he talked, he thought of his own family and friends. He had felt the same things she had, and continued to feel them too. In this world, it was easy to feel lost and alone, because everyone could be dead or trying to kill you. Nothing's the same, and you don't know what to do; you can't turn to someone for help, because there is no help. He breathed deeply, trying to stop the last memories of his family that were beginning to rush back. He only wanted to focus on the good ones, the happier ones. The ones that had helped him get through those early lonely days after the virus spread. "Your dad, Diana, and your friends and family are still with you, _chica."_ Then he said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "And so am I."

He was surprised by the fierce hug Cassie had entrapped him, but returned it anyhow. "Thanks, Blue. If I have to be with only one other person at the end of the world, I'm glad it's with you, _amigo_."

"You're welcome, Cassie," he answered sincerely.

"So what's your story?" she asked, wiping at some dampness near her eyes.

Jamie coughed in a weak attempt to delay his story and gather his thoughts. "Well, nothing much to tell, you know? I had a pretty normal life with a mom and dad. My dad owned a garage; I always wanted to help him out with it. I was getting more and more interested in mechanics, but he told me to focus on my studies, get good grades, and help the family out that way. Everything was fine. I went to school had friends, just worried about every day issues like tests, homework, and of course my friends' issues." He ran a hand tiredly through his short black hair, "Friends like Tye. It seems he was always getting in trouble, mostly because of his new step dad, which was understandable because he was a bad dude, abusive to Tye's mom." He saw Cassie's eyes widen.

"But, why would she let him do that?"

Jamie shrugged. "I don't really know. Not everyone's a fighter like you. Some let people push them around. That's why he and Tye would fight a lot, he'd stick up for his mom and Maurice would then push him around even more. Sometimes though, things got too bad and Tye would make a break for it, calling me at the bus station. Usually I could talk him out of it and convince him to stay with his grandfather or sometimes my family for a couple days. The last time that happened though, was just before the virus hit big. Somehow, Tye had gotten bitten while running away, but none of us knew what that meant." Jamie paused, rubbing his face with his hand as memories flew back. He remembered him and Tye, eating pizza and playing video games on the couch. Tye had told some stupid joke and Jamie had thrown pizza at him, but it ended up all over the sofa. They kept trying to get the stain out, but his mom had grown suspicious with two teen boys getting cleaning supplies and towels. She hadn't been happy, threatening to take away their video games, but ended up telling the boys to go to sleep and they'd take care of it in the morning. It had been his last normal night with his family. Jamie felt a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"Jamie," said Cassie, voice soft and concerned. "You don't have to tell me if-"

The boy shook his head. "No, I feel like I have to get this out. Someone should know." He took a breath before speaking, "I woke to my mother's screaming the next morning. Tye had turned overnight, the full on green, wrinkly and bloody mess, groaning, and hungry for humans. By the time I got to the living room where Tye was sleeping, he had bitten my mom once but was coming for more. My dad had just stormed into the room with a crowbar and pulled my mom away. I remember yelling at Tye and trying to reason with him. My dad then, looked at me for just a second, _una segunda_, to tell me to get away." He squeezed his eyes shut as relieved the moment. "but it was enough for Tye to leap at Dad and bite his neck. My mom then, continued to yell at me to go, but I couldn't leave, I couldn't. Then, she picked up the fallen crowbar and started beating Tye with it, my best friend, who had just eaten my dad. Nothing made sense. Before I knew it, Tye wasn't moving anymore and neither was my dad. My mom was crying and I went and hugged her. She held on to me tightly, saying that she and my dad and Tye would always be with me, but that I needed to leave. That it wasn't safe for me and I needed a chance to leave. We packed some supplies, and then I ran. I ran away from them. I just left them there." He felt wetness rolling down his cheeks, and quickly rubbed them away before noticing Cassie staring at him. "Sorry, I, it's just, _hijole_, what I mean- I should've….ugh" he couldn't seem to get the words out.

"No, no, no, no, no don't feel sorry," she said clearly. "I'm really sorry for what happened to you and your family, but I'll bet they're really proud of you."

Jamie groaned angrily and threw a hard pillow against the wall. "Maybe. But I feel like I let them down. I couldn't save any of them. I should've done something!"

"No, no maybes," She said fiercely, turning him around to face her. She firmly put both her hands on his shoulders and stared him the eye. "They loved you. There was nothing you could've done. Just live and keep fighting, that's how you can help them."

He gave her a small thankful smile, feeling a little bit better. "_Gracias, chica_. I needed that."

"You're welcome, Blue. I'll always have your back," she answered genuinely.

"And, I'll have yours."

**12345678987654321**

_Another four months later_

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Cassie shouted joyfully, spinning out, albeit a little unsteadily, into the middle of the rink.

"Well, you said you've never been rollerblading, so here we are," replied Jamie, skating out to meet her as the multi colored lights spun around playfully.

"So are you as skilled on skates as you are on a skateboard?" she asked playfully.

"Not really, I can jump in the air with them though, but that's about it."

"Ooooo, can you teach me that at least?" She braced her legs, looking like she was about to attempt the jump right away.

"Easy there, _querida_. Let's teach you how to actually skate first," he said, steadying her as she began to lose her footing.

She quickly grabbed onto Jamie's jacket to right herself, resulting with their faces being mere inches apart. Jamie could feel her warm breath on his lips and smell a scent that was distinctly Cassie, definitely some sweat and what Jamie swore was sunshine because there was no other way to describe it.

"You've been calling me that more recently, Blue. "_Querida"_. What's that mean?" She asked, and she felt her words ghost across his skin.

Jamie swallowed quickly, suddenly nervous despite having been best friends and knowing each other for six months. He moved away from her, using his hands to make sure she was steady instead of rubbing his neck in the nervous habit that she knew. "It's another word for friend in Spanish, like _amiga_. There's sometimes multiple words to say the same thing, thing like slang."

"Oh," she responded. "Well teach me your skating ways then, Blue _queso_."

"You just called me Blue cheese, you know what right?"

Cassie rolled her eyes before wrinkling her nose, "Eh, if the smell's there….." she trailed off before wobbly trying to skate away.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now," he replied with a grin, as he speedily caught up to her laughing form and skated on her left.

"Jamie, if you make me wipeout, I'm gonna kick your ass!" she threatened.

Jamie in reply, jumped forward but stayed on her left side and she wobbled, slightly caught off guard. She quickly righted herself shouting, "Blue!"

He just gave her a cheeky grin in return before holding his hand out to her. "Don't worry, I'm here. I'll lead you around until you get the hang of it."

They started off making giant slow loops around the ring. "It's all about balancing yourself and gliding."

"Like flying?" she asked sarcastically.

"Kinda. It's as easy as flying," Jamie replied as Cassie snorted.

"Right, because you know flying."

He rolled his eyes. "Bare with me. Besides, you're already starting to pick it up."

She shot him a lighthearted grin. "Good. Now let me try on my own." He obliged her, letting her skate around the rink by herself, picking up pace. "This is so much fun!" she shouted excitedly, arms raised triumphantly in the air and hair flying crazily behind her. Jamie stood for a moment just watching her soaring free over the hard floor before he found himself skating up to her side and joining her.

"See? Told you it's like flying," he teased.

She responded by sticking her tongue out at him, but lost her balance. Cassie flailed, reaching out to Jamie for support but dragging him down with her in a pile of limbs and bruises.

"Owwwwww," they both groaned. Jamie lay his head back on the ground since he had twisted himself to be on the bottom. "Your elbow's digging into my stomach," he wheezed out painfully.

Cassie winced and shifted. "Sorry. You're comfortable to fall on."

Jamie didn't know why but he started laughing and Cassie soon joined in. It was such a relief to take a break from the stress of trying to survive. They could just relax and have fun, be normal teenagers, even if for only a little bit. That's why they had come to the skating rink. Cassie had never been skating and they both agreed to do something fun. It was a time to forget the crumminess of the world. Jamie brushed away some hair that had fallen into Cassie's face.

"Hi….." she whispered, smiling softly.

"_Hola, querida_," he said with a smile of his own.

Growling and a rumble of uneven footsteps quickly ended the moment.

Cassie rolled off him, trying to get back on her two feet but kept sliding with her skates so she temporarily settled with crawling to where their supplies and guns were in the corner. Jamie quickly stood up and skated to Cassie, helping her up.

"Not me! The guns! Get the guns!" she brushed him off.

"No, you first," he said stubbornly. She huffed but they quickly skated to their weapons, picking them up and aiming at the arriving swarm of zombies. They were used to taking down a handful of zombies here and there, but they had never faced a number like this. Even after both teens began shooting down one after the other, more kept taking the places of the fallen and were getting closer. There wasn't time to take off the skates so they had to focus on keeping their balance and themselves alive.

There was a constant chorus of gunfire and the plasma cannon shooting. The zombie's faces looked even more ghastly in the multicolored spinning lights. The circle around the teens was getting tighter and tighter and they soon found themselves backed into a wall. They kept firing but Jamie knew that it was just putting off the inevitable.

"We're going to have to make a break for it, Jamie!" Cassie shouted over the gunfire. "We can't hold out for much longer!"

"Kick your skates off, I'll cover you," he said, stepping in front of her after she stopped firing. A minute later he heard some more fire to his right. She was ready to go.

"Your turn!" She urged, doing the same for him. Jamie quickly undid his skates and hurriedly threw on his sneakers. He then got into position, slinging a backpack onto his back.

"Ready." He picked up his gun and started firing again. "I'm going to start blasting a path to the door."

"Do it!" The hungry groaning monsters had gotten close enough to touch and Cassie had to kick some of them back.

Jamie started firing repeatedly to his left, bodies falling down with thumps, but more zombies were filtering in. "Time to go!" he shouted, grabbing her hand and making a run for it. He heard more gun fire behind him as they tried to charge through. Suddenly, he felt a large weight slam into him and knock him to the ground, while his hand was torn from Cassie's.

He heard her scream his name, but couldn't respond. His mind flashbacked to the day Tye attacked his father, Tye hurtling himself and going for the kill the same way the zombie on top of him was doing. He heard some more gun shots in the distance and Cassie shouting some more over the hungry groans, but he tried not to focus on that. He quickly jabbed his elbows and knees into the crazy zombie woman, using his arms to push her away and give him enough room to kick with both legs and send her flying. More zombies made their way to him and he saw his cannon a couple feet away, but he couldn't reach it immediately. Fear grew in the pit of the stomach as the weight of his task began to overwhelm him; quickly he shoved it down, intent to focus on the here and now. He wasn't going down. He was going to fight for his family and for himself.

Jamie quickly got on his feet and began using some of the tactics that Cassie had taught him, dodging out of the way of those charging at him, knocking them down, using their own weights against them, and moving steadily towards his cannon. Then, he felt a weight on his back, but when he moved to throw the zombie off, another one attacked him, grabbing his arm and sinking his teeth in it. Jamie cried out and threw the one on his back at the monster attempting a deeper bite on his arm. He didn't have much time to look at the bite when he suddenly heard a barrage of gunfire, more than just one gun.

While the zombies were distracted by the new noise, Jamie ran and got his gun and began firing, cautiously making his way back to Cassie. He called out to her and she cried out in relief. He heard more shouting and orders to tell him to get out of the building through a set of doors. There was another cry of "Aim for the doors only, and get out of the way of the doors, otherwise you'll end up shooting one of us!"

Jamie began firing and partially disintegrating zombies on his way to the door, when he got close enough, he saw two new arrivals with Cassie, a red headed boy and blonde girl helping keep the exit clear. Eventually he pushed through, and seeing him go through they all bolted through the exit.

"Quick, get in the car!" The red head shouted, pulling out a set of keys with a car remote and pointing them at a red prius. Normally, Jamie would have reservations about getting into cars with strangers, but considering their current situation, he was willing to make an exception and hopped into the back seat with Cassie. The other blonde sat the shot gun and continued firing at the zombies while the guy started the car and quickly drove away.

There was a moment of silence while all four teens worked to catch their breath.

"So you two just had to play with all the special lights right next to one of the big zombie gathering places?" The older blonde asked, shooting them a piercing look with her grey eyes.

"We didn't know they were right next to us. The coast looked clear when we showed up," Cassie argued back.

"We were just looking to have some fun, a little bit of normalcy," said Jamie.

"And how'd that work out for you guys? Almost died, right?" The girl said. Jamie looked away, suddenly remembering the bite on his arm. He had to get out. If he didn't, he'd end up like Tye and hurt people, hurt Cassie. He'd failed everybody. He shook his head quickly and looked out at the remnants of the town, he didn't want to break down in front of everybody; he wanted to be strong for his last couple of days and do things right. He had to tell them, soon.

"Artemis, relax. I remember us doing similar stuff a couple weeks back," the redhead said, taking her hand comfortingly. "Remember fun? Used to have it most of the time before the end of the world started?"

Artemis sighed, turning back to face the front. "But it's not time for that. And _we're_ more careful."

"You learn from your mistakes, that's what they just did." Artemis didn't reply to his comment. The boy shot the two younger teens a look in the mirror, "I'm Wally, by the way. This is Artemis. Don't mind her, she's just cranky today."

Jamie heard Artemis huff in annoyance, but she didn't say anything in response.

"I'm Cassie and this here is Jamie," she said, waving her hand in his direction. "We've been surviving together for about six months. That was the first time we ever got overwhelmed like that, so thanks."

"Don't worry about it. Us survivors got to stick together," Wally replied. "You guys don't look like your normal rookies with their parents' old shot guns though." Jamie looked at the cannon sitting in his lap.

"We're not, I guess, though I don't think anyone still alive doesn't have something special about them that's keeping them alive. I used to be trained to be a fighter to fight in a ring and I taught Jamie some of my moves. Jamie's also got his plasma cannon."

Jamie could feel people's stares on him. "I got it from the rubble of a busted Kord Industries building by my house. It seemed to work, so I kept it around," he explained quietly. He didn't know why he had trouble saying it; all he knew is that he and Cassie had finally found more people and things were looking up and he didn't want the moment to end. There was a moment of silence and everyone exchanged looks.

Cassie placed her hand on Jamie's arm and he flinched slightly. When he looked at her face, he saw hurt splayed across her features, especially her eyes. "Jamie, what's wrong?" she asked.

"You guys need to let me out of the car," he said stiffly in reply.

"What? Why?"

Jamie took a deep breath before speaking. "I got…bit back there." If he thought Cassie's eyes were sad before, they didn't compare to how they looked now. Her eyes had widened and tears were threatening to spill over. It made him feel worse about the situation, knowing that he caused it.

"But…but…" she fumbled for an excuse, any reason it could be a mistake, but she couldn't find any. He had disappeared from her sight, had been swarmed by the ravenous monsters, and there was a bloody red and purple bite mark on his arm.

"I'm sorry, _querida_. But you guys need to leave me here and get away." He tried to give his gun to Cassie but she refused to take it.

"We're not leaving you here, Jamie!" she said fiercely.

"I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. This is what I want."

"But it's not fair. You, and I, and we, and….and. No. You can't turn, you have to stay!" she yelled, getting angrier and more stubborn by the second. He could tell she wasn't going to give this up. He knew that, but he also knew it was in both their best interests for her to let him go.

"You said you just got bit, as in just from that last fight?" Wally suddenly asked.

"Yeah…." Jamie replied warily. He had already mentioned that.

Wally and Artemis shared looks. "You thinking, what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Artemis shrugged. "Our group has been looking for someone, but it's always been too late… it's a big risk though." She looked back at the disheartened teens. "It might be his only chance, but I don't see why he can't get it if he wants it."

"Get what?" Both Jamie and Cassie shouted.

"There might be a cure for him," Wally explained. "_But_ it's highly experimental and can only be used on those who have recently been bit. If we get you back to HQ, we might be able to stop the virus from spreading and reverse it."

"It's never been tested on a transforming human yet though. It hasn't worked on zombies or regular humans before. Zombies usually end up dead after injection and humans go crazy, so we don't know the side effects of trying it on someone in transition," Artemis added.

"But it's possible….that it might be a cure? Stop me from… turning into a monster?" Jamie asked.

"Possible's the keyword," replied Wally. "But yes."

Cassie squeezed Jamie's hand comfortingly. "I think, it's worth a try, Blue."

He nodded. "Better than nothing. And I don't have many choices." He turned to the couple in front. "I'll do it."

"Wait, are there more of you?" Cassie asked. "You said something about HQ."

Artemis nodded. "Yeah, there's a small group of us holding out at a base. It's easier to fight zombies when you work as a team, and have a family to be a part of."

Wally kissed her hand and gave her a genuine smile. "Families and teammates stick together. I think you'll like it there."

"But you hardly know us." Jamie stared at them absurdly.

"Kid, if you two were going to try to steal our car or hurt us, you would've tried to do it already," said Artemis with a chuckle. "And even if you try pulling something back at the Cave, it's nothing we couldn't take care of."

It wasn't long before the car drove past a harbor and towards the mountain that towered over the water. They passed through a forest near the mountain before pulling up at its side. Wally energetically popped out of the vehicle while Artemis carefully scanned the area.

"Babe, relax. We're home," he teased before turning to the newcomers. "Welcome to Mount Justice! Home of the survivors."

He went over to the side and typed into a keypad camouflaged into the rock. A door slid open. "Come on, you two. It's time you met the team." Jamie and Cassie followed the others in through the tunnel and walked into a giant foyer where some other teens and young adults were waiting.

"Look who finally decided to show up," said a snarky teen with black hair and piercing blue eyes as the groups approached each other. "We thought you two had snuck off to get a room for yourselves, let the rest of us get some sleep."

"Well, you know Wally," replied Artemis flippantly, giving Wally a kiss on his burning red cheek as he spluttered.

"Nooooo. We were getting supplies, Dick. You need to get your mind out of the gutter," Wally said finally.

"It's hard when you make it so easy," responded a girl who also had black hair and blue eyes. Dick's cackle echoed around the room.

A tall African American boy with short pale hair placed a hand on Dick's shoulder. "That's enough for now, team. It appears we have company," he said, giving Cassie and Jamie a calming smile. Jamie was struck by the man's formal speech. "Hello, you may call me Kaldur. This is Richard or Dick, Conner, Megan, Garfield, and Zatanna," he introduced, pointing to each person in turn. "And you've already met Wally and Artemis."

"I'm Jamie, and this is my friend Cassie," said Jamie as she smiled and waved at everyone. "It's nice to meet other people. We thought we were all alone."

"It's ok, everyone here has felt the same way. It wasn't until we all met and decided to come together that we felt as if we weren't alone anymore. You're welcome to join us," put in Megan cheerfully.

"Wait, how did you two meet Wally and Artemis?" asked Conner. He didn't look as welcoming as the others, but maybe that had to do with his lumbering size and expression of distrust.

Jamie gulped, but Cassie took over. "Jamie and I were hanging out at the roller rink, and we accidentally attracted a zombie hoard. Normally, we can take care of them ourselves, but there was so many it overwhelmed us. Wally and Artemis came to the rescue and saved our lives." She paused and glanced at Jamie. "But not without some injury-"

"I got bit by a zombie during the fight, probably less than an hour ago. Now, they said you guys might have some sort of cure?" Jamie looked around the room at the slightly surprised expressions on the other's faces.

Kaldur's face quickly transformed from surprise to business as he began to explain, "Ted Kord, a famous and talented scientist, used to be a friend of ours."

"I know that name. He's the guy who made my cannon." Cassie and Jamie shared a surprised look. This guy must've been a genius or something. It's a wonder he wasn't alive anymore, well according to one of the last news broadcasts.

Kaldur continued, "So you're somewhat familiar with his work. The cure is an injection. We're not sure if he finished it because it was one of his last experiments. He made several, planning on experimenting with them, but he never got the chance. Since then, we've tried using it, but with bad results for regular humans and zombies. It is still highly experimental. We've tried everything else and we cannot guarantee that there will be any changes, or that they will be good."

Jamie nodded, and spared a glance at Cassie. "I know, but I want to try. I _really_ don't want to turn into a zombie. Please."

"You can't honestly want to experiment on him," Conner argued. "He's just a kid!"

"We're all just kids," reasoned Dick, turning serious. "It's his choice. Let him make it."

Jamie got the feeling that he and Cassie weren't the only ones forced to grow up fast. Kaldur looked to be about the oldest and couldn't be older than twenty-one. They all had to leave behind their old lives, learn how to use guns, fight to survive, and make unbearably hard decisions. Sometimes they could get lucky and find respites or people to help them get through the hard times, but life was still hard.

"I still want to do it. It's okay, really." He felt a warm hand encircle his and give a comforting a squeeze.

"I'll be right here for you, Blue. You're not gonna be alone." Cassie's hope was full of encouragement and hope. "It'll be fine, you'll see. You're a fighter too."

Kaldur looked at Wally. "Would you like to set everything up? We can try as soon as possible."

Wally nodded and left the room to prepare the procedure.

"Wally's our resident science genius. Don't worry, he'll take good care of you," piped Dick.

"Hey! Why don't we give you a tour of the cave! It's really cool, used to be an abandoned government base until Dick hacked into it and we took over," said Garfield cheerfully, bounding up to the shy Jamie and Cassie. "I'll show you around. I'm an expert, come on!"

Together they followed behind an eager Garfield, who along with his sister Megan, led the tour and showed them everything there was to see in the Cave like a training room, living room, kitchen, and living spaces. Cassie eagerly listened but didn't let go of his hand. Jamie tried to pay attention, but his mind kept drifting off. In less than an hour, he and Cassie had innocently gone skating, trying to enjoy the remnants of their youth before being ambushed by zombies and he got bit, thus receiving his death sentence. Now suddenly they find this other group of teenagers who say they may have a cure, but it may make him insane or dead. In less than three days time, his life could be over. That's the hardest part, just waiting. Waiting to get the cure, waiting to see if it works, waiting for his life to end. Waiting and not knowing made him afraid. He didn't want to die. He knew it was the end of the world and that it was inevitable, whether it was from old age, disease, fight, or getting zombified, but he still wasn't ready.

But he was tired of worrying about that. He looked over at Cassie who was laughing at something Garfield had said. She always somehow managed to brighten his day, even when they were hiding in dark abandoned buildings and surviving on scraps of food. She loved hearing him speak Spanish and he loved hearing her try to pick it up. He really should've taught her more, but he loved teasing her with it. She in turn taught him how to fight better and see the brighter side of life. She made him want to be a better person and not give up. So he wouldn't; he would keep fighting for her, for his friends, for his family's memory, and for himself. Jaime Reyes was not going to let death beat him.

"Jamie." Kaldur's cool voice broke him from his thoughts. "We're ready for you."

He took one more deep breaths, and gave Cassie his own squeeze of assurance. "See you on the other side, _querida_." He smiled reassuringly and turned to follow Kaldur, but not before he heard Conner talking to Cassie behind him.

"Are you two dating, then?"

"What? No, no, no. We're not, I mean, we're just….. really good friends. A relationship would be messy, and I don't think he likes me like that anyway," Cassie replied, and he thinks he hears some regret in her voice.

It's enough to almost make him turn around, when Conner says, "Well, I asked because he called you '_querida_.' It means 'sweetheart' or 'beloved' in Spanish."

But he's farther away now, and he worries if he turns back to face her he won't go forward into the room. Still, he hears her gasp and scream his name, but the metal door to the infirmary and experiment room closes with a thud, separating them.

**12345678987654321**

It's been four days and Cassie is about to pull her hair out as she paces in front of Jamie's hospital room. The transformation only takes three days, but Kaldur and Wally wanted to make sure the serum didn't just delay the transformation. The only news Wally had given everybody was that so far Jamie had just been sleeping, but he was tied down because on day three he had started convulsing in pain and muttering in his sleep. They were worried the virus was starting to affect him, but his appearance had remained the same. Other than that, Jamie remained asleep since the procedure, but no one was allowed near him besides Wally and Kaldur in case Jamie turned and needed to be restrained or killed. So far, he had not woken up and no one knew if he would.

It'd been four days and she still didn't know what she wanted to do when she saw him: hug him, slap him, kiss him, cry, laugh, or pass out. Jamie was never one to be overly affectionate, and looking back she saw he did show his feelings for her in little ways. His long stares, making sure she always got away first, playing with her hair when she fell asleep on him, and calling her _querida_. Then, she had to go and call him Blue Cheese. _Way to go and ruin those moments Cassie_, she mentally chided herself. She had noticed her feelings towards him grow as well, but she was so scared of ruining their friendship or making it so awkward that they separated, so she didn't heavily pursue it. Then, she was going to tell him while they were skating, but then the zombies showed up and Jamie got bit and there didn't seem to be a good time. And now he could be dead.

She sat on the ground, head between her knees. M'gann came by and rubbed her back soothingly. "Don't give up hope yet. If things had gone terribly wrong we would've known by now," the older girl assured her._ But things also aren't going great either_.

A sliding door caught their attention.

Jaime slowly walked out of the room, seemingly wary of everyone but his face brightened when he saw Cassie. A collision soon occurred as she flung himself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. "You're okay." His arms encircled her, smoothing her hair and holding her close.

"I'm okay, _querida_. It's me. I promise," he muttered against her hair.

_Querida_. There was that word again. That word he lied about and didn't tell her what it really meant. The word that would've made some things easier if he just told her what it was. She slugged his arm, hard.

"_Miedra_! What was that for, Cass?" he cried, rubbing it as she backed away to get a good look at him.

"For, for, calling me _querida_!" she said desperately, throwing her hands in the air. "I know what that is now, Jamie! Why didn't you tell me, huh? You could've died! You almost did die! You should've told me that you liked me! And I mean, _like_ like me before dying! That's not okay, Jamie!"

Jamie turned red and rubbed his neck in that embarrassed way he does. She bit her lip, trying to remain stubborn even though she found it really adorable. _No, stop now._ She's still angry.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to ruin anything between us. I mean, I've never been really good at this sort of stuff. I didn't want to make you upset or awkward and drive a wedge between us because you're the best thing to happen to me since the zombie apocalypse. But I do like you, a lot, and-" She could almost hit him again for being so silly and thinking she didn't feel the same way. But considering what he was saying now, what they'd been through, and her relief that she was alive and they could be together she decided to forgive and cut of his ramblings with a kiss. Their lips met, and she sighed as his hands reached up to stroke her cheek. Her own hands ran up his chest, over his shoulders and around his neck, hoping to keep him there and away from the zombies and other problems in the world. In the kiss, they didn't hide their feelings; their insecurities and fears melted away and it was the happiest she had felt in a long time.

Cassie smiled brightly as they pulled away, slightly out of breath. Jamie's eyes were shinning and she could see he really cared for her, maybe even loved her, but that was another step for another day. "So that's how you feel, _querido_," she teased. "You should tell me more often."

"Mmmm, I wouldn't mind that," he grinned back at her. "I don't know why I didn't tell you sooner anymore."

There was a cough behind them, and Cassie moved to step away but Jamie held her close, arm encircled around her waist as they faced the group.

"So how do you feel?" Dick asked.

Wally and Kaldur came out of Jamie's hospital room. "Well, he's not a zombie, dead, or crazy, and I don't think he will be," reported Wally. "But there's something you all should know."

"I'm not alone in my brain anymore." If Cassie wasn't already staring at Jamie, her head would've made a whipping sound as it snapped back towards him. "The experiment wasn't just a cure to stop a transformation, it was a way to inject Ted Kord's artificial intelligence into a human. It's name is Khaji Da and he's now permanently attached to my brain as far as we can guess," Jamie gestured to Wally and Kaldur. "It's sorta like having Jiminy Cricket with a bad attitude in my head.

"We think the programs in the other procedures went wrong because it fought off the zombie affection by killing the entire zombie and drove normal humans crazy because they weren't fighting for their lives as much," said Wally. "When you're at the edge of your rope, primal instinct kicks in and you fight twice as hard. With help from Khaji Da, Jamie's not a zombie, but because he almost was he didn't let Khaji Da mess with his own mind too much."

"Well, what does he want?" Megan asked.

"He's not evil, from what I gather." Jamie winced, before muttering, "I know, I know, I'm trying to explain. You don't have blaster to blow anything up with! _Calmate_! (Calm down!)" He stared nervously at the strange looks he received from everyone.

_He's talking to Khaji Da now_, she realized. _And now he's worrying everyone thinks he's crazy_. Cassie grabbed his hand. "It's okay."

Jamie gave her another smile. "Thanks." He looked at the others, now serious. "One of the downfalls though is that I'll never be alone in my head gone. But, Khaji Da says there's a cure for the Krolotean virus. And he knows how to create it."


End file.
